Irish Shake Ups!

 Instead of that boiled cabbage, try Colcannon. Instead of corned beef, try lamb stew. Instead of soda bread try Irish Cheddar Bread. There's a little bit of Irish in all of us.


Traditional Irish Colcannon
1 1/2lbs (about 4 medium) russets of yukon gold. I used 2 of each
    washed, peeled, and cut in to quarters
1 tsp salt + 1 bouillon cube (if you're gf, watch ingredients)
1 bay leaf
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
4 strips of cooked bacon
2/3 cup cabbage, chopped or shredded
1 leek, whites cut into sliced, separated and rinsed
4 green onions, chopped 
salt and pepper

Fill a stock pot with water, add salt, bay leaf, bouillon and cook on medium until tender. 

In another stock pot, melt butter and add half of your green onions, and cabbage. Put a tiny bit of your potato water in and season the greens with salt and pepper. Put a lid on top. Let the green wilt, but not over cook.

Drain potatoes, mash lightly so that there are some good chunks. Add cream and milk, season with more salt and pepper and then put the contents of your pot of greens in the potatoes and lightly turn the potatoes. Add bacon and remaining onions and you're set.





This next recipe is not gluten free, sorry.

Irish Cheddar Bread
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch chunks, plus more for greasing the pan
4 ounces extra sharp Cheddar cheese
2 ounces white cheddar cheese (Dubliner)
1-1/4 cups low fat buttermilk
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Toss in the cold butter. Using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, "cut" the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly, with some pea-size clumps of butter within. Mix in the grated cheese.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and the egg. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until everything is just moistened. Do not over mix.
Transfer the sticky dough to the prepared pan. Dust your hands with flour and press the dough to the edges of the pan. Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool. Cut into wedges and serve warm with softened butter.

This next recipe comes from Panning The Globe, they have some yummy recipes.  I adapted this recipe. The original recipe is here.

Lamb Stew
4 pounds lamb shoulder chops with bone or 2⅓ pounds boneless lamb stew meat, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 to 1½ inch pieces. Meat that clings to the bones is fine - it will come off easily after cooking.
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
½ cup all purpose flour (1/4 cup GF brown rice flour blend + 1/2 tsp cornstarch)
Olive oil or other cooking oil
1 large onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced (1½ cups)
1 cup Guinness Stout or 1/3 cup unsweetened cranberry juice 
           (if you can find a GF beer, use it)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups low salt beef or veggie broth, divided
A 6-inch sprig of fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
8 medium carrots, sliced on the diagonal into wedges
5 boiling potatoes - yukon gold, red or white potatoes (2-2½ pounds) cut into wedges (set aside in a bowl of cold water to prevent browning)
1¼ pounds green beans, trimmed
1 cup frozen green peas, defrosted

Brown meat Pat the meat dry. Spread it onto a wax paper-lined baking pan in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat. Shake off excess flour by tossing meat in a mesh colander or strainer before browning. Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a large skillet until hot. Brown lamb on all sides in two or three batches, 3-4 minutes per batch, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer browned lamb to a large stew pot.
Assemble Stew Add onions to the skillet and sauté, stirring, for a few minutes, until lightly browned. Add them to the stew pot. Pour the Guinness into the skillet and de-glaze, stirring with a wooden spoon to get off any browned bits of meat or onion. Pour the liquid into the stew pot along with the garlic, tomato paste, 3 cups of chicken broth, and rosemary. (ingredients should just barely be covered with liquid) Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour.
Blanch Green Beans Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop the beans in and cover to help bring the water back to boil quickly. Remove the cover and boil beans for about 3 minutes, until just crisp tender. Drain and plunge beans quickly into a big bowl of ice water to keep them crisp and green. You can also use the bagged micro beans.
Finish the Stew Remove bones (if using) and degrease cooking liquid by letting the fat rise to the surface for a few minutes and skimming it with a spoon or by cooling the stew in the fridge for several hours or overnight, and scraping the fat off the top. Stew can be made ahead to this point and stored in the fridge for up to two days.
Bring stew back to a simmer before continuing. Season broth with salt and pepper, to taste. Bury carrots and potatoes in the stew, adding 1 extra cup of broth if necessary. Bring to a boil. Quickly lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Drain beans and bury them in the stew along with the peas. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until beans and peas are hot. Correct seasoning.